Laser treatment of printhead surfaces

Abstract

Laser treatment on surfaces of a printhead. In an embodiment, a printhead comprises an assembly of structural elements each comprising a metal substrate. The structural elements form a plurality of jetting channels and a manifold fluidly coupled to the jetting channels, and the jetting channels and the manifold have internal surfaces internal to the printhead configured to contact a print fluid. The printhead further comprises a laser-altered surface texture formed directly on one or more of the internal surfaces via a laser treatment to define one or more wetting regions on the one or more of the internal surfaces.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A printhead, comprising:
 an assembly of structural elements each comprising a metal substrate, wherein the structural elements form a plurality of jetting channels and a manifold fluidly coupled to the jetting channels, and wherein the jetting channels and the manifold have internal surfaces internal to the printhead configured to contact a print fluid; and   a laser-altered surface texture formed directly on one or more of the internal surfaces via a laser treatment to define one or more wetting regions on the one or more of the internal surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The printhead of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the structural elements comprise a housing and a plate stack; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on the one or more of the internal surfaces of at least one of the housing and the plate stack.   
     
     
         3 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the housing comprises a manifold duct that forms the manifold; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on an inner wall surface of the manifold duct.   
     
     
         4 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the plate stack includes a nozzle plate comprising a plurality of nozzle holes disposed through the nozzle plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define nozzles of the jetting channels, wherein the nozzle holes at the second surface define nozzle discharge orifices of the nozzles; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate.   
     
     
         5 . The printhead of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on an inner wall surface of a nozzle inner wall of the nozzle holes.   
     
     
         6 . The printhead of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture defines a wetting region along at least a portion of a length of the nozzle inner wall beginning at a nozzle discharge orifice.   
     
     
         7 . The printhead of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture comprises a first laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate to define the one or more wetting regions; and   the printhead further comprises a second laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the second surface of the nozzle plate via the laser treatment to define a non-wetting region on the second surface surrounding the nozzle discharge orifices.   
     
     
         8 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the plate stack includes a chamber plate comprising a plurality of chamber openings disposed through the chamber plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define pressure chambers of the jetting channels; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the chamber plate.   
     
     
         9 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the plate stack includes a restrictor plate comprising a plurality of restrictor openings; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the restrictor plate.   
     
     
         10 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the plate stack includes a support plate comprising a plurality of chamber openings disposed through the support plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define pressure chambers of the jetting channels, and a manifold opening disposed through the support plate to define the manifold; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the support plate.   
     
     
         11 . The printhead of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the plate stack includes a diaphragm plate that forms diaphragms of the jetting channels;   the diaphragm plate includes a first surface configured to contact actuators, and an opposing second surface;   the diaphragm plate comprises a manifold opening disposed through the diaphragm plate to define the manifold; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the diaphragm plate.   
     
     
         12 . The printhead of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the structural elements comprise one or more bonding surfaces; and   the printhead further comprises another laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the one or more bonding surfaces via the laser treatment to define one or more adhesion regions on the one or more bonding surfaces.   
     
     
         13 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
 the printhead of  claim 1 .   
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 obtaining structural elements of a printhead each comprising a metal substrate;   applying a laser treatment to one or more of the structural elements to form a laser-altered surface texture directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the one or more of the structural elements; and   assembling the printhead with the structural elements to form a plurality of jetting channels and a manifold fluidly coupled to the jetting channels;   wherein the jetting channels and the manifold have internal surfaces internal to the printhead that correspond with the inner wall surfaces of the structural elements;   wherein the laser-altered surface texture defines one or more wetting regions on one or more of the internal surfaces configured to contact a print fluid.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the structural elements comprise a housing and a plurality of plates; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on the one or more of the internal surfaces of at least one of the housing and the plates.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the plates include a nozzle plate comprising a plurality of nozzle holes disposed through the nozzle plate from a first surface to an opposing second surface to define nozzles of the jetting channels, wherein the nozzle holes at the second surface define nozzle discharge orifices of the nozzles; and   the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture is formed directly on an inner wall surface of a nozzle inner wall of the nozzle holes.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture defines a wetting region along at least a portion of a length of the nozzle inner wall beginning at a nozzle discharge orifice.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the laser-altered surface texture comprises a first laser-altered surface texture formed directly on the one or more inner wall surfaces of the nozzle plate to define the one or more wetting regions; and   the method further comprises applying the laser treatment to form a second laser-altered surface texture directly on the second surface of the nozzle plate to define a non-wetting region on the second surface surrounding the nozzle discharge orifices.   
     
     
         20 . A fabrication tool, comprising:
 one or more lasers;   a jig configured to support a structural element of a printhead comprising a metal substrate; and   a controller configured to control the one or more lasers to apply a laser treatment on one or more inner wall surfaces of the structural element to form a laser-altered surface texture directly on the one or more inner wall surfaces to define a wetting region on the one or more inner wall surfaces configured to contact a print fluid.